Kansas City Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. Honors 'Backyard Baseball' Legend With Custom Bat

MLB Players' Weekend is back, and one All-Star is taking advantage of the opportunity to pay respects to one of the most beloved legends in virtual baseball history.

Shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and the Kansas City Royals rolled into Great American Ball Park ahead of their series-opening showdown on Friday. During pregame warmups, Witt revealed a custom bat he plans to use over the weekend.

The bat showcases "Backyard Baseball" video game character Pablo Sanchez, whose smirking face is painted right on the sweet spot. The rendering of Sanchez, a fan-favorite from the now-defunct franchise, features his signature backwards hat and crop top.

Bobby Witt Jr. has a Pablo Sanchez bat for Players’ Weekend

(via @hustlesportsgrp) pic.twitter.com/RuHpnjxW7y
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) August 16, 2024

The most recent "Backyard Baseball" game came out on iOS and Android in 2015, but the last edition of the mainline PC and console series was released in 2010. In nearly every version of the game over the previous 13 years, Sanchez was widely considered to be the most dominant player, despite his small stature.

MLB brought back Players' Weekend in 2024, giving stars the chance to display their personality through custom bats, cleats and other gear. When the event had its first run from 2017 to 2019, players were allowed to change out their last names for nicknames on the backs of their jerseys, but that aspect was nixed this time around.

The weekend's format is based around fun on Friday, causes on Saturday and appreciation on Sunday. For the fun day, Witt decided to honor a famed fictional character from his childhood.

The 24-year-old first-time All-Star certainly doesn't need any good luck from Pablo Sanchez to do his best work, considering he is hitting .349 with 24 home runs, 89 RBI, 25 stolen bases, a 1.009 OPS and a 7.9 WAR this season.

Witt's Sanchez bat is notably making its debut just one week after Secret Base's Kofie Yeboah published a deep-dive video on what made Sanchez so dominant in all of the "Backyard Sports" games, from baseball to football, basketball, soccer and hockey. Social media user Caitlin Hendrix, meanwhile, posted a video investigation into the franchise's potential return on Tuesday.

First pitch between the Royals and Reds on Friday is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. ET.

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